Tony Bachelder – checking your hives

It just may be time to feed your bees.  Tony Bachelder spoke to an audience of fellow beekeepers on Saturday at the monthly meeting of The Oxford Hills Honey Bee Club.

Most of the club members are hobbyists with fewer than 10 hives. Tony has over 600 active hives and therefore brings the most
accurate data as to how western Maine hives have fared this winter.
According to Tony, the prospects for hive survival are good this spring despite a colder than average winter. The lower percentage of dead hives was also confirmed by Ken Record. Tony noted that this is the time to check your hives food stores. If your bees are at the top of the hive with no honey in the combs showing, you will need to add candy or fondant. Tony replaces his inner covers with a candy filled cover, but said you could also add the bricks or chunks of candy or , if you do not make candy, simply add granular sugar. If your bees are right at the top of the hive and shaking, you had better add some sugar quickly. This indicates the last stage of starvation prior to death.

Beyond feeding, much of the conversation with Tony was
directed toward mites and disease. I had not realized that
Tracheal Mites could be so deadly. We mostly hear about the Varroa Mite, but Tony’s experience  tells us that the Tracheal Mites can be very deadly if left unchecked. Tony Jadczak, Maine State Bee Inspector, will test for Tracheal mites to
determine the survivability of a hive. He does this through
microscopic examination of sample bees he removes from
each hive.

Through trial and error Tony Bacheldor has devised a
successful method of handling these microscopic parasites. When directly applied in the hive  on an 80 degree day
(as prescribed), menthol is too strong and can have an effect that turns the bees against their own queens. A milder and more controlled method was required. Tony has found that
administering the menthol through a smoker brought positive
results without harm to queen and colony. One ounce of menthol added to your smoker and then 8 to 10 puffs for each hive is the
optimal dosage. Tony will do this once a year in the fall in order to control the Tracheal Mite infestation. Tony also spoke on the
treatments to manage Varroa Mites and the different strains of
Foul Brood. So once again we hear, “if you simply leave your hives
to survive on their own…they won’t”

Beautiful…what a time to get into
beekeeping. Well, thanks  to Tony and other experienced Maine beekeepers in the Oxford Hills Honey Bee Club willing to share their knowledge, we can all keep the
honey flowing.